Poison in my Veins
by TamedTempest
Summary: It was liquid in motion before my eyes. I clung to the edge of my seat as the swords glinted in the waning sunlight. The near rhythmic clang of the metal was hypnotic... There is more than one way to poison someone's heart


I do not own the Study Series or any of the fabulous characters. *Le Sigh*

I wrote this after reading Poison Study before reading Magic Study and Fire Study.

Not sure where this would fit into Poison Study but I hope you like!

~TamedTempest

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Poison in my Veins

It was liquid in motion before my eyes. I clung to the edge of my seat as the swords glinted in the waning sunlight. The near rhythmic clang of the metal was hypnotic. I jumped when I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. My eyes wide, I turned to face my older brother, Andreas.

"Now Valek, watch the fight carefully." I stared at the sparring forms before me, intent on deciphering their secrets. "Do you see how Levi is starting to shift his weight on to one leg?" Andreas pulled me closer, pointing.

I didn't, but I nodded, eager to impress him.

"If Jonah notices too, this fight is over" Andreas whispered with a wink. Sure enough, Jonah, who was the youngest but the quickest of my older brothers, noticed Levi's slight change in stance. With one swift kick to Levi's ankles Jonah had him on the ground with a loud thud. As the dust settled I was horrified to see the tip of Jonah's sword at Levi's throat.

"Get ready to die, vermin," Jonah spat angrily.

"No!" I screamed as I ran to grab onto Jonah's leg. "Don't hurt him!"

"He's in alliance with the King! He deserves to die!"

Levi remained still, his face frozen in a mix of fear and panic.

"NO!" I screamed louder, nearly hysterical, I tried to push Jonah away. My feeble attempts were in vain. "He's our brother!" I resorted to pelting Jonah's legs with my little fists.

"Please, kind sir!" Levi pleaded "Spare me!"

"Never!" Jonah bellowed, triumphantly raising his sword high into the air.

I was shaking, the tears streamed down my face. I clutched the fabric of Jonah's pants trying to tug him away. "Stop it! Please!"

"All right, that's enough!" Andreas said sternly as he yanked Jonah back before scooping me up in his arms.

Levi and Jonah burst out laughing as Levi got up and dusted himself off. My lower lip trembled as I clung to Andreas; fifteen years older than me, he was more like a second father than an older brother. Levi and Jonah on the other hand…

"Did we scare you, little one?" Levi asked, tousling my head of black curls. "You're so easy." he said with a grin, tapping my nose. I wanted to bite his finger. I glared at him with the angriest look I could muster. He laughed again, pinching my cheeks. "You're so cute."

"You know Valek, if he really was one of the King's men, I would have killed him." Jonah said gathering the weapons. Levi nodded in agreement.

"No, absolutely not," Andreas said sharply. "Killing isn't the only solution to a problem. Don't teach him such things." Levi rolled his eyes in response. "Now hurry up, we need to get back to the house."

"Yes, Sir!" my brothers said in unison with identical mock salutes.

They took off down the path, threatening each other with their swords. Laughter filled the evening air. When Jonah and Levi were out of sight Andreas crouched down and held me out at an arm's length; his sapphire blue eyes searched mine.

"Always remember that Valek," he said softly, "killing isn't the only solution. Do you understand?"

I nodded, barely comprehending what his eyes were pleading to me.

"Good." Andreas swung me onto his shoulders; I held onto his head, my hair was just like his. I was so high off the ground, I felt like I was flying. Pure joy came over me as I looked around with renewed eagerness; it was as if I was seeing the world for the very first time. All of a sudden I jerked forward as Andreas started running, a glance ahead revealed why.

Men on horses had stopped in front of our house. Even from a distance I could see Levi and Jonah standing defiantly in front of them, shielding our aging father. Although I was seven years old, I knew exactly who the men were. Dread twisted at my stomach. They were the King's soldiers but corrupt conniving bastards was what Levi called them. He had yelled that at them a few weeks ago right after they had pushed our father into the ground. I remembered hiding behind our mother as I watched Andreas drag an enraged, kicking and screaming Levi into the house. He was still shouting curses and death threats when Jonah and Father came in. I shuddered remembering the blood running down my father's chin. I didn't understand why someone would want to hurt my family.

Andreas stopped running to set me down; I dashed after him, desperate to keep up. Once we got close to our home, my brother looked at me with a sense of urgency I had never seen before. His expression was something I would never forget.

"Go hide in the house. Stay hidden until we come to get you." I stood frozen; the soldiers had drawn their swords. "Go!" Andreas pushed me towards the door as he ran over to stand besides Father.

"Please, sirs, you must understand!" Father was pleading. "Our building collapsed last month, we cannot run our business without new equipment. My sons and I have been doing odd jobs around town to earn money; we need a few more weeks. I promise to pay the taxes in full. Please."

Terror rooted me to threshold of our home. Why was my father so panicked? Why had the men not sheathed their swords? Why was Jonah reaching for his own sword? I felt a burning in my throat; tears stung my eyes.

"Valek!" my mother gasped behind me. She pulled me into the house, her hands trembling. She clung to me protectively. I could feel her heart pounding against my back.

"Laws are laws." One of the soldiers said gruffly. "If we make an exception for you, we'll have to make an exception for everyone else. Chaos will ensue! There will be no order!"

"Lying thief!" Levi yelled. "You make exceptions for bribes!"

My mother's grip on me tightened as one of the soldiers moved his sword to Levi's throat. Jonah stepped forward threateningly, his own sword drawn as well. My father pushed Levi back, Andreas moved protectively in front of him.

"Please forgive him, sir. He's young and foolish, he doesn't know any better. Please," my father sank to his knees. "All I ask for is three weeks. If I pay you now, I won't be able to take care of my family. I have a wife and four sons to feed."

Savage laughter tore at the darkening sky. "We can solve that problem," one soldier said dismounting, the others followed suit.

In an instant I was thrown over Jonah's shoulder as he ran with our mother to the storeroom. The clang of metal sounded followed by my father's desperate pleas. Curses and angry yells filled our once peaceful home. Jonah pulled Mother into the storeroom and set me down.

"Swear to me you'll always take care of Mother, Valek," he said urgently, cupping my face. "Swear to me!" My heart was pounding and I couldn't breathe, I nodded meekly, it was all I could do. Jonah kissed my forehead and pushed me into my mother's arms. As I watched him close the storeroom door, somehow, I knew today was the last time I would see my brothers alive.

My mother's body shook with sobs as she pulled me tighter into her trembling embrace. She rocked back and forth covering my ears, trying to block out the sounds of the fight. She gasped and I let out a scream of terror when we heard Levi and Andreas scream Jonah's name, the sickening loud thud that followed was much worse.

"I'll kill you, you fucking bastard!" Levi was screaming.

We heard more shouts and thuds. My world started to spin; I pressed myself closer to my mother, praying this was a cruel nightmare and nothing more. My chest began to tighten as darkness engulfed me. My mother stopped shaking, time seemed to stand still. I was falling into the spiraling darkness. My heartbeat began to slow; my mother was melting away from me. I lost all sense of time and space…the burning in my throat returned with a vicious intensity, I felt I was dying.

"Valek!" a panicked voice said. "Valek, please wake up!" it pleaded. I became aware of the hands on my shoulders. They were shaking me hard. My eyes opened to frightened green orbs hovering inches above my face.

"Thank fate!" Yelena gasped. She cupped my face, worry knotted her features. She kissed my lips. "You're alive," she whispered. "Oh, Valek, you had me so scared," I saw the relief in her eyes as she moved to kiss me again.

Reflexively I pushed Yelena away just as her lips touched mine for the second time. She fell backwards slamming hard into the floor, she had been kneeling by my bedside. Silently cursing myself for using too much force, I tried to untangle myself from the covers; they were slick with cold sweat.

"How did you get in here?" I demanded angrily.

Had Yelena picked the locks to my bedroom? How had I slept through that?

"You're in the living room" she answered softly; I knew I had hurt her.

My eyes adjusted to my surroundings, I really had fallen asleep in the living room. My memories disoriented me, turning my limbs to lead. Yelena rushed over to help me up. The nauseating feeling of vulnerability overwhelmed me, I wanted her to stop helping.

"I wanted to get Ari and Janco, but I was too afraid to leave you alone." The worry and genuine concern in her voice made my chest hurt. "I thought you had been poisoned. The way you were shouting and convulsing, I thought someone had slipped you 'My Love'."

Yelena reached for my hand. "Valek, if something ever happened to y-"

I raised my hand to silence her. She had _no_ right to rescue me from my nightmares.

"You're dismissed," I said harshly, hoping to remind her of our relationship. I started to stand, but Yelena pushed me back down, snaking her arms around my neck. I refused to meet her gaze.

"Valek, please, what happened? I need you to trust me," she whispered softly in my ear. "I'm here for you."

There it was again, that revolting jolt of defenselessness and panic; I had felt it when Andreas told me to hide. It made my stomach turn. I must have winced because Yelena wrapped her arms tighter around me; I felt her warmth seep into me. It was more than I could take, I needed to breathe. I needed her to get off of me. I grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.

"Leave!" I ordered, taking care to avoid pushing her this time.

"Now!" I shouted for emphasis when she didn't move.

Yelena flinched and stood up, running back to her room she nearly tripped over the books scattered across the floor. I heard her crying as she slammed her door shut.

Inhaling slowly, I leaned forward, my head in my hands. Metal objects hit the stone floor. With shaky hands I reached over to pick them up. I clenched my fist tight; I couldn't bear to look at them. Stringed on one chain were the three amulets my father had carved for my brothers when they each turned sixteen. I kissed them softly, and held them to my heart, right over the 'C' Ambrose had carved in my chest. I thought about the bloody knife mounted on the wall. I had killed the King in my brothers' name, but nothing could fill the void.

Yelena's muffled crying brought me back to the present.

_I thought you had been poisoned._ Her words echoed in my head.

I laughed bitterly, if she only knew how right she was.

I had been poisoned.

All these years, since that horrific night, it was poison, not blood that coursed my veins.

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Please review! This is supposed to be one shot but I'm open to suggestions. I have a few more story ideas in mind, so let me know your thoughts. I really appreciate detailed, constructive criticism. ;)


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